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Annual performance reviews. Everyone’s least-favorite time of year. Whether you do this burdensome task at the end of the calendar year, or the fiscal year, or if you wait till each employee’s anniversary date, you know they’re coming and you dread their arrival. Not only are formal performance reviews time-consuming and disruptive to your normal … Continue Reading

Every manager has, at some point, worked with an employee who was not cutting it. They were not a good match for their role which led to poor performance. And every manager has let those employees slide, at least for a while. Why is it that even though problem employees are easily identified, action to … Continue Reading

People often joke when a newlywed couple gets a puppy that they’re just practicing for when they have children. And they’re right, because dogs are great “training wheels” for becoming a parent. But they can also be great training wheels for becoming a manager. Your pooch can teach you a lot about management. Here’s an … Continue Reading

The real obstacles to a company’s growth are often hard to identify. They are frequently issues that affect multiple areas of the company. They may look like seemingly simple issues at first. But once you’ve solved the superficial problems, there’s still no relief. That’s because you didn’t get to the heart of the underlying issue. … Continue Reading

Have you noticed that your managers are reluctant to have those tough, but necessary, conversations with their employees? When those conversations are had, do they tend not to be as direct as they could be? Do the employees not hear what was intended? Do managers simply “Hint and Hope” that their employees will eventually get … Continue Reading

For those of you that watched the Belmont Stakes over the weekend, you were privileged enough to see history being made, in more ways than one. Yes, American Pharaoh won the Triple Crown, only the 12th horse to do so, but history was also made for racing sports marketing. As Victor Espinoza was hoisted up … Continue Reading

When I start thinking about succession planning and the future leaders of the business world, a familiar Shakespearean quote comes to mind: “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them.” Wouldn’t the easiest way to help our future leaders “be not afraid of greatness”, be … Continue Reading

Most managers dread holding annual reviews with their employees. It’s a stressful time for both parties. But it doesn’t have to be. If, for instance, you had been holding monthly one-on-one meetings with your direct reports (which you should be), the annual review becomes much easier. With 11 months of recorded data on their performance, strengths, … Continue Reading